There have been numerous recent incidents of blue-green algae at the UK’s largest lake in County Armagh and elsewhere across Northern Ireland. Reported by the BBC and elsewhere, the situation at the lake, which provides 40% of Northern Ireland’s drinking water, has become a political issue.

There have been 168 confirmed reports of toxic blue-green algae in Northern Ireland’s waterways since May.

The Department of Environment has put in place emergency planning measures, impacting fisheries (both commercial and pleasure) and recreational water users. It advised the public not to drink the water, not to not enter or swim in it, not to use it for recreational water sports, not to let dogs or livestock near the water and not to fish or eat fish caught recreationally from the lough.